Under rules which apply to all criminals, a driver who pleads guilty before the case goes to trial will have their sentence automatically reduced by a third and most criminals will be released after serving half their sentence.

This means that some killer drivers could be out of jail in a matter of months.

Amy Aeron-Thomas, advocacy and justice manager for RoadPeace, the charity for road crash victims, says: “There are too many cases where courts have been too lenient on those who cause death or serious injury on the roads.

“We think all culpable cases should be treated as manslaughter and there needs to be a full review of driving offences and it is good that the Government has said they will have a consultation on this.

“RoadPeace welcomes this Drive For Justice campaign for reform of driving offences.

“We have had piecemeal reform for the past decade which has resulted in great inconsistency in how law breaking drivers are prosecuted and sentenced.”

Gary Rae, campaigns director at road safety charity Brake says: “We fully support this Drive For Justice campaign to get the whole issue of sentencing guidelines for road deaths re-examined.

“We agree one of the issues is courts don’t use the powers they have already got - what do you have to do to get the maximum 14 years?

“There are also inconsistencies in different courts.

“People think road crime is viewed and treated as a second rate crime.

“If your loved one was shot dead, everyone would say how horrific that was.

“But people are more accepting and complacent about road deaths.

“The law needs to change so sentencing fits the crime.”

Duncan Dollimore, senior road safety and legal campaigner at Cycling UK, says: “We fully support the re-working of sentencing guidelines and agree there should be tougher sentences.

“There are lots of concerning decisions in cases where drivers cause death or serious injury and do not receive a custodial sentence at all.

“Our biggest concern about sentencing is the inadequate use of disqualification powers.

“We believe that courts are forgetting that driving is not an entitlement: it is a privilege.

“There are too many cases where people are arguing it would cause extreme hardship to them if they were banned from driving.

“But courts should be more concerned about the risk they are presenting to others.

“We would like to see more disqualifications and with repeat offenders, much longer bans and lifetime bans from driving.”